India Men’s Cricket Team History and Rise as Global Powerhouse

From Early Beginnings to Global Powerhouse

According to Cricinfo, the India men’s cricket team played its first Test match against England at Lord’s in 1932. It took over seventy years for the squad to truly establish itself as a global powerhouse, a transformation that accelerated under Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli during the second decade of the 21st century. The nation’s cricketing landscape shifted significantly following a fairy-tale first ODI World Cup victory in 1983, which triggered a massive surge in fan following. By the late 1990s, India had evolved into the world’s biggest cricket market, where television rights revenue began influencing the sport globally.

Individual brilliance paved the way for team dominance. Sunil Gavaskar emerged in the early 1970s as India’s first world-beating batter, becoming the first player to reach the 10,000-run milestone in Tests. He was followed by allrounder Kapil Dev later that decade. The arrival of Sachin Tendulkar—a world-record-setting superstar batter—further solidified the country’s stature. Tendulkar formed the core of a golden age of Indian batting in the 2000s alongside Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, and Virender Sehwag.

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Home Dominance and the Rise of Fast Bowling

As a Test side, India maintained an astonishing home record for over 35 years, losing only four full home series since 1987. During the 1990s, spinner Anil Kumble served as the team’s greatest match-winner alongside a dependable support cast. While spin bowling initially anchored home success, the latter half of the 2010s saw India develop an exceptional group of fast bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. This evolution transformed the squad into a formidable unit in Test cricket both at home and away, though their home reputation faced a major setback when they suffered whitewashes against New Zealand and South Africa over a span of a little more than a year.

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White-Ball Success and ICC Trophies

In white-ball formats, India experienced a minor purple patch in the 1980s before embarking on a highly successful run of ICC tournament victories in 2007, 2011, and 2013. Following a ten-year wait for further ICC silverware, the team captured the T20 World Cup in 2024, the Champions Trophy title in 2025, and another T20 World Cup the following year. Alongside international success, the launch of the Indian Premier League in 2008 created the most lucrative and competitive T20 league in the world.

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Current Squad Leadership and Rankings

The modern setup is led across formats by specific captains, with Shubman Gill captaining the Test and ODI teams, and Shreyas Iyer leading the T20I side. The coaching staff is anchored by head coach Gautam Gambhir, alongside bowling coach Morne Morkel, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, and fielding coach T Dilip. According to current rankings reported by Cricinfo, the India Men’s Cricket Team holds the number one position in both ODIs and T20Is, while ranking fourth in Test cricket.